Gabe was our old man llama. He was gray and grizzled, and a little weary-looking. I don't think he had a lot of oomph anymore for holding his own in a herd, so he would sort of hang back and let all the craziness subside at feeding time. But he was a gentleman.
Last Friday Gabe didn't show up at feeding time. Neither did the goats. When John went to investigate, he found Gabe dead on the ground near the run-in shed. And the goats were all huddled in a corner of the run-in, and would not come out no matter what he did. They would not go past Gabe.
On a personal level, this was just a not so grand ending to a not so grand week. On the larger level, there were practicalities to be dealt with. Like, what does one DO with a dead llama in ones pasture?? DO you know how BIG those things are?? Even a rather emaciated elderly llama is definitely bigger than a breadbox. On top of that, it has rained pretty much non-stop the last week (see prior posting about the flooding inside and out) and the ground was like a freaking sponge. Not ideal conditions for digging a biggish hole. Add to that the fact that when the pastures are axle-deep to a Ferris Wheel in mud, it is not an auspicious time to take one's rather petite tractor into the fray.
So what, you might ask, did your intrepid farm girl do? She left town, post haste. To be fair, I was already scheduled to leave town for a girls' weekend with my daughter at the coast. Being a tad bit stressed out and ready to bug outta town, I felt more that a little guilty about leaving Gabe in situ, so to speak. But that's where he still is.
Because it WILL NOT STOP RAINING. I mean, really truly what DO you do with a large deceased animal??? Cremation? (Yeah, like ANYTHING would burn in this weather). I am open to all ideas and suggestions.
And practicalities aside, I will miss his old gray self in the mornings. He was such a gentle presence. And the goats need to stop freaking out and come out of the shed. I never knew goats were so superstitious or psychotic!
So send your suggestions. And here is a photo of good old Gabe with his mates. Requiescat in pacem.